At the Hands of Betrayal
by Syncidence
Summary: Alterations; deviations of the actions taken by Lelouch vi Britannia altering how the story plays out. (At the Hands of Betrayal) - When betrayed by his own military force, Lelouch chose to lie and die; here he chooses to explain, with his ultimate fate unknown. (No longer) A One-shot.
1. By Mine Eyes Deceived

**AN Notes: **This "second chapter" is nothing more than an extended first chapter, fixing the grammar errors I had missed the first time, and adding some parts I had mistakenly edited out. Pro tip: don't edit for grammar and spelling while drunk, you'll never know what you may have removed the next morning.

Now, to the people that have already reviewed this, and to those that may still, asking for my to continue this story. I will not. Honestly? I only wrote this to get the idea out of my head for now so I can focus on other things. Now, that isn't to say that this will never be revisited, as I have plans to work this scene, albeit, reworked and rewritten, into a full length CG:LotR fanfiction. So keep you eyes out for that, it'll be called **Que Sera, Sera.**

That being said, I apologize for anyone who's hope I may have raised when they got the e-mail saying that this updated; as it was just me fixing the chapter.

* * *

Behind the mask of Zero, Lelouch's eyes narrowed in disgust. Kallen had lead him to the hanger of the Ikagura – only having told him that some of his command level staff were calling for a meeting. Now he found himself at gun point feeling the sting of betrayal for the second time in as many days.

_First Suzaku sells me out to the Empire, again! Now even the Black Knights, my own organization, betray me._

"It's over Zero – no, Lelouch!" Tohdoh Kyoshirou shouted while looking down on him.

"How dare you deceive us!" Chiba Nagisa let her voice carry out immediately afterwards.

"We know about your Geass, Lelouch!" Ohgi Kaname, his _second_ in command, said calmly, leveling the rifle at Lelouch.

Lelouch choked. He was screwed here and he knew it. If his command staff knew about his Geass, than they were show to know how he used it – by mistake – on Euphemia to slaughter the Japanese that had gathered for the S.A.Z.. Though he regretted it, and would undo it in a heart beat, he _did_ capitalize on his mistake, here now it would cost him dearly.

"I see..." He responded calmly, as he raised his right hand up to his mask. "Then there isn't any more need for the mask, then is there?" With a click the slide locks were undone, and the face mask, and cloth were removed revealing to everyone assembled his uncovered face. The face of a Britannian prince in exile.

"I can only assume that Kururugi told you about my Geass; either that or Kallen did herself."

"Kallen! You knew about Lelouch's Geass?!" Ohgi practically screamed his questioning disbelief.

"Yes." The red haired half-breed responded dejectedly after a moments hesitation; her voice was quiet and subdued as she turned her head in shame. "Since the end of the Black Rebellion." Answering the when before it could be asked.

The rest of the Black Knights looked stricken at her words. Not only had Zero – no, Lelouch – betrayed them, but Kallen as well?

"How could you not have told us we were being used, Kallen!?"

"It's not like that!" Kallen's voice carried with it defiance. "I just... Ze – Lelouch isn't like that!"

"Well then." Lelouch spoke up, drawing attention away from Kallen. "Shall we go discuss my surrender, or were you seriously just going to execute me unjustly, without having any sort of defense court?" He sneered.

"I thought I taught you all better than that."

* * *

**By Mine Eyes; Deceived,  
By Mine Words; Mislead.**

**By Your Hands; Betrayed.**

* * *

By the time everyone relevant had filed into the conference room, Lelouch had already taken a seat at the head of the table with his hands crossed in front of him; alone. One by one the others filed into the room and began to take their own seats at the table; Ohgi, Tohdoh, Chiba, Tamaki, Diethard, along with Schneizel and Cornelia of Britannia – whose presence mildly shocked Lelouch, and Kallen; Q-1.

_So it was Schneizel who told them about Geass, and Cornelia was there at the order when I had it destroyed so who knows how much she truly knows._

"So, I take it that it was you that informed them of my power, Schneizel?" Lelouch voiced his thoughts as a question though there was no doubt in his mind.

"Indeed." The second prince answered as he took a seat directly opposite of Lelouch. "Though I must thank Suzaku for giving me such useful information. To think that such a power could possibly exists."

"Oh?" Lelouch drawled out slowly. "Cornelia never informed you as such?" The young man turned his gaze towards his older sister. "Strange thing that, considering you were at the Geass Order when I had it wiped out."

This statement caused everyone at the table to stop and stare at the second princess in shock. She knew about the Geass, well before the others, and had not informed anyone, not even her sibling.

"Schneizel already knew about it by the time I told him." Cornelia gave a slight shrug as she spoke. "So the point was moot."

"But you were missing for a year, dear sister. Couldn't you have contacted Guilford at any point during that time?"

Cornelia's mouth snapped shut. The princess had nothing she could say about _that_, and so she crossed her arms under her breasts in defiance of her brother.

"And don't you find it odd?"

"Do I find _what_ odd, Lelouch?"

"That you and I should have run into each other there, of all places. And with both of us having the same overall goal as the other. Removing the source of Geass from this world."

"I find that hard to believe considering you used that accursed power to taint Euphy's name." Cornelia spat at him, the venom in her voice clear.

There was a brief pause.

"Just how much do _you_ know about Geass?" Lelouch asked, his question directed towards the gathered crowd. "This will go much faster if I had a starting point to reference."

"Geass lets you control people." Tamaki spoke up for the fist time, drawing all attention to him. "Kinda' like hypnotism. Right?" He felt smug until Lelouch scoffed in response.

"And is that all you know?" Lelouch asked, "what it does – even if incorrectly – but none of its limitations or drawbacks?"

"Limitations?" Ohgi took the reigns.

"I'll get to those soon enough, I guess." Lelouch responded calmly as he leaned back in his chair and relaxed his posture. "I suppose I should start with what Geass is then, shouldn't I?" He got the consensus of the group.

"Geass is, quite simply, a wish."

"Bullshit!" Tamaki shouted.

"I assure you that, Tamaki, that is all that Geass is. How it manifests itself is what differs from person to person. The source of their deepest wish becomes their Geass." He leveled his gaze across the assembled people.

"You mean... there are more people out there with Geass besides just you?" Ohgi asked, once more taking control of the conversation.

"Indeed." Lelouch answered succinctly "The people that I know of that currently have a Geass are myself, Rolo from the Black Knights, and Charles zi Britannia; though I should rather say that the Emperor _used_ to have a Geass. I also encountered a Chinese boy named Mao last year that had a Geass of his own, though he has since been... disposed of."

Lelouch's proclamation was met with stunned silence; even from Schneizel and Cornelia, both of whom were no doubt shaken by the information. Silence stretched over the room for several minutes before anyone spoke up; and Schneizel was the first to break it.

"Father... knew?" His voice was soft, and full of an unreadable emotion.

"Yes. More than just that, he was partially in charge of the Geass Order." Lelouch replied, a small softness in his voice.

"And you said it's different from person to person?"

"Again, yes."

"What... is father's Geass, Lelouch?"

"Charles zi Britannia could use his Geass to erase and replace someone's memories; stealing from them their very lives as they knew it and to make the person to be whomever he so desired. That is no longer so."

"What do you mean 'no longer so', Lelouch?" Cornelia asked her brother with a distraught face.

"Father has since traded his Geass for V.V's Code; taking away his Geass and granting him immortality instead."

Lelouch's statement hung dead in the air. Something that was beginning to become rather common.

"I find that hard to believe. A supernatural power to manipulate people is one thing - and I still wouldn't believe it without the evidence we have to support it - but immortality? How gullible do you think we are, Lelouch?" Schneizel's statement carried with it the sound of haughty derision.

"What would I gain about lying about such a thing?" Lelouch rebutted. "How about you, Cornelia? What do you think about the concept of immortality?"

"That little blond boy." Cornelia began before pausing to think. "I threw a knife through his skull, but he pulled it out and shrugged it off after only a few minutes."

"So you met him, met V.V." Lelouch stated a short time later. "V.V is one of two immortals that I'm aware of, and he is the one that granted Charles _his_ Geass. My Geass was given to me by C.C, seconds after I thought she had been killed by Clovis' royal guard. Did you know that? The entire Shinjuku ghetto inncident that saw Clovis killed by my hands was caused by his vanity? He couldn't risk the knowledge that he had been experimenting on C.C, more than likely trying to gain her immortality for himself, from reaching the Emperor. He order the destruction of the ghetto, and the execution of the Japanese, simply to control information."

"For only that-" Cornelia began to shout at Lelouch.

"For only that, what? Do you still regard the Japanese as second class citizens? Do you ignore the fact that they've since proven to be just as able as Britannians, only with their humanity intact? But we've digressed. Where were we?"

"You said that Geass is something different for each person, but that we were incorrect to call yours hypnotism." Ohgi spoke up, a certain dryness in his voice. "What _is_ your Geass then, Lelouch?"

"My Geass falls into the realm of Absolute." Lelouch sighed as he shifted in his seat again. "I personally call mine the Geass The Absolute Obedience With it I can give a person any _one," _they could all hear the emphasis placed on that word, "order that they could not disobey."

"So it is hypnotism!" Tamaki exclaimed as he pointed a finger at Lelouch. "You've hypnotized us!"

"I'd forgotten how much of an idiot you can be, Tamaki." Lelouch replied with a tired sigh.

"Huh?"

"Hypnosis has limitations, Tamaki. Borders and ceilings that it can not overcome, no matter how complete it is. For example, you can't be hypnotized to kill yourself, not unless you were already suicidal. My Geass can; and it has. I've ordered people to die with it, and they all did that. Simply, killed themselves."

"Still sounds like hypnosis to me, Lelouch." Ohgi said with that same, dry tone to his voice.

"Hmm, how to explain it to you. Hypnotism isn't absolute, if commanded by the hypnotist to do something you wouldn't normally do, such as killing yourself or committing a crime, you simply wouldn't do it. All hypnotism does is reduce the inhibitions on your actions set by your personality; much the same way as alcohol and psychotropic drugs do, but limited to the suggestions given to you by the hypnotist."

"My Geass will have you do anything I order you to, whether you'd like to do it or not. In the case of Jeramiah Gottwald, he did everything in his power to let myself and Suzaku walk free. Or in the case of unimportant settlement workers, they collapsed the settlement plates."

"And Euphemia ordered the slaughter of the Japanese!" Tohdoh said with force in his voice, realization dawning on him.

"Suzaku Kururugi abandoned his orders to restrain to to save is own life." Schneizel's voice hinted at and odd sort of realization.

"Yes, though in my defense, as poor as it is, the Euphemia incident wasn't exactly intentional." Lelouch said, his voice coming out tighter than he meant it to. "That brings us to the limitations and drawbacks of Geass."

"I'm curious, Lelouch." Schneizel spoke up, drawing the former prince's attention to him. "You said your Geass falls into the realm of Absolute. Are there other types of Geass then?"

"Heh." A small chuckle escaped Lelouch's lips. "I would've known you'd ask about that. I personally classify Geass into two separate realms, based on their powers, of course. The Realm of The Absolute, and The Realm of The Isolated. The former are Geass powers that affect people other than it's user, while the latter affects the user instead. For an example of an Isolated Geass, Mao's Geass allowed him to read the minds of anyone withing 500 meters."

Everyone's eyes widened and a collective gasp was heard.

"I'm sure when he got his Geass it didn't quite work the way it did by the time I met him, but I've taken to calling his Geass the Power of Absolute Understanding – even with the contradiction to its type and name. Rolo's Geass is irony in and of itself as well. The Power of Isolated Existence is from the Realm of The Absolute, and with it he can stop everyone's, within a limited area of effect, sense of time. To the affected, his movements become instantaneous, and for combatants, without defense."

"Like that knightmare in the Tower of Babel." Kallen said, her mouth hung open.

"Yes, actually. That was Rolo while he was still working for the Geass Order." Lelouch smirked.

"Mao's Geass changed over time?" Schneizel drew the conversation back towards its original goal.

"Yes. Geass rampancy is a very real danger to its' users. The more one uses their Geass, the stronger their Geass becomes. Eventually it evolves in one way or another; but ultimately, everyone bows to the same fate." Lelouch spoke, his voice growing more tired as he spoke. "Rampancy, or the loss of control over one's Geass."

"Meaning?"

"The Geass becomes permanently active, and the user can no longer turn it off. For Mao, he became unable to _not_ read everyone's mind and lost his sanity as a result."

"And yourself?" Schneizel asked, his voice oddly triumphant.

"You're too smart for my own good sometimes, brother." Lelouch answered with a smirk. "But yes, I too have succumbed to my own powers. I lost control over my Geass, ironically enough – for the purposes of this conference – when I was explaining my power to Euphemia and told her I could order her to slaughter the Japanese if I wanted her to."

Silence once more fell over the assembled crowd. No one could believe what they were hearing here. Some supernatural power existed, that could do anything from erase memories to bend a persons will to anothers'. And that Lelouch was rationalizing his involvement in the Euphemia Massacre as an uncontrollable mistake.

"That doesn't absolve you of your crimes against the Japanese, Lelouch." Tohdoh's voice cut the air harshly. "It doesn't matter if you lost control or not, you are still the person directly responsible for that genocide."

"Did I say that it cleared my of all wrong doing, Tohdoh?" Lelouch bite back. "I just said that I didn't mean for it to happen, not that I'm not the one to blame. I fully intended to give my life for my cause as penance."

"Then, Euphy..." Cornelia crumpled to the floor in relief.

"Indeed, sister. Dear Euphemia li Britannia is in no way responsible for that. Though she may have died with blood staining her hands and name, she still died innocent. And for that, I am truly sorry."

"Let's say that we believe that you didn't mean for it to happen, Lelouch. That doesn't take away your guilt in using it on us, on the Black Knights, and making us follow you without our consent." Ohgi replied after a moments hesitation.

"Are you so idiotic to still believe that I used it on _you_, my own Black Knights, of all people?" Lelouch asked with a sincere look of surprise on his face. "I made you my second in command because I thought you smarter than this, Ohgi."

"What do you mean, Lelouch?"

"Absolute Obedience " Was his only response Everyone in the room just looked towards Lelouch like he had grown a second head. It wasn't until a few moments later, when Schneizel began to laugh, that people tore their attention away from the exiled prince and began to question Schneizel.

"Absolute Obedience indeed." The second prince eventually said after regaining control of himself. "That they could even question his authority is proof that you never used Geass on them, isn't it? Lelouch." Schneizel closed his eyes in thought. "It seems I went into this endeavor with far, far too little information."

The members of The Order of the Black Knights just stared in utter silence, their gazes going back an forth between Lelouch vi Britannia – their, now former, leader – and Schneizel el Britannia; the man who tried to turn their loyalty away from Lelouch.

"Indeed." Lelouch responded, his voice filled with mirth. "If you must know, of the people in this room the only ones whom have ever been under my Geass' effects were Kallen and Cornelia; and both were simply told to answer my questions without reservations."

"What..." Kallen began to ask, but was cut off by Lelouch's answer.

"Kallen, to find out if my classmate was really the pilot of the Glasgow I commanded in the Shinjuku ghetto; and Cornerlia, to answer questions into my mother's murder." Lelouch's voice carried that tone of finality in it.

"That isn't really any guarantee, Lelouch." Ohgi responded after he regained his thoughts. "But we can leave that for now. You said there were limitations to Geass."

"Yes. Influence, range, usage, requirements and so forth. I really only know the full limitations to my Geass, so I'll explain those. I must have direct eye contact with the target and commands must be issued verbally. Also, it can only effect people up to 272 meters away, and it also interrupts the targets' ability to form memories as long as they remain under its effects. Additionally, the victim may be able to resist the command to some degree if they couldn't possibly fathom such an action normally, though they eventually perform the task regardless." Lelouch answered calmly, never taking his eyes off anyone before him, and he smirked.

"Direct eye contact?"

"Yes, my Zero mask prevented my from using my Geass unintentionally on anyone." Lelouch's face twisted into one of victory at that statement. "Though you may feel that point moot now that I'm no longer wearing it."

"How many times can you use it on someone?" Diethard spoke up for the first time.

"Once per person. After that, they become immune to its effects. I can thank Kallen for that little piece of info." The prince turned his gaze towards his ace pilot. "She became defensive, aggressive even, after I ordered her to 'say nothing about Shinjuku', after the effects wore off from the questioning. My commands must be... specific."

"Questioning?" Kallen asked, her voice quivering somewhat.

"Yes. I approached you during school hours to verify my suspicions. I used my Geass to order you to answer my questions, after you did, my Geass wore off as you had carried out its command, and I tried to use it again to make you remain silent. That backfired on me, as it made _you_ suspicious of me."

"Then that phone call..."

"Was a prerecorded message to get you off of my back." Lelouch smirked as he recalled that event. "Still... seeing you in the shower was to my benefit, Q-1."

Kallen's face became indistinguishable from her hair as the collective group turned to face her with mixed looks on their faces. Nobody said a word.

"Now, is this where you execute me, or can I go on my merry way?" Lelouch questioned as he turned back to the group. "Because either way, this conversation is over."

* * *

**By mine grace and guidance did thou ascend to power in this world, and by mine words and actions didst thine enemies crumble. **

**By mine hands were their leaders slain, one after another, and by mine majesty did they bow, bent knee before us.**

**So why now, armed with false knowledge have thou forsaken I, tossing all I had accomplished by the wayside; all by the words of thine enemies. **

**What fools thou hath been on this morn', to heed another and usurp mine authority unto thineselves. One wouldst hope that thine very lives did hang in the balance, or the actions thou hast taken this day 'been foolish beyond measure.**


	2. Discussions - An Afterthought

**AN Notes:** And here I relent a little, and give you poor sods a teaser – a pseudo chapter, if you will – making you all believe that I decided to continue this story. Well, heads up; I didn't. However, you_ may_ consider this the epilogue, dealing with how everything goes down afterwards.

I'm hoping to keep everything vague in this, so that you may decide, for yourselves, what happened to Lelouch after the events of the actual one-shot.

So... I guess At the Hands of Betrayal is a one-and-a-half-shot.; not just a measly little one-shot.

Heh. I spoil you guys, I hope you know that.

* * *

Kaname Ohgi looked around the Ikagura's main meeting hall cum conference room. Nearly everybody that had been present during Lelouch's explanation was here; Cornelia, Schneizel and Lelouch himself were noticeable exceptions, but that was to be expected after the disaster that last meeting turned out to be.

"What now?" Ohgi asked the group, unofficially being the one in charge at the moment, he took command of the situation as far as he could manage. "Where do we go from here?"

"What do you mean?" Tamaki damn near shouted as he plopped his ass into the biggest, most comfortable chair available. "It's over isn't it? We've won."

"That remains to be seen." Tohdoh responded as he opened his eyes. "We originally agreed to trade Lelouch for Japan, and since that isn't possible any longer, we're technically still an imperial territory."

"Bloody Brits, going back on their word like that!" Tamaki's voice raised to higher and higher volumes as he spoke. "Why should _we_ suffer for what just happened?!"

"Because it was partially our fault." Ohgi responded with defeat in his voice. "And Britannia isn't much better off at this point either, Tamaki. The world over now knows about the FLEIJA weapon, so the Empire is poised on the brink of another international conflict."

"Not to mention that with Lelouch's-" Kallen whispered to herself, all though loud enough for most of the assembled group to hear her.

"That's enough of that Kallen." Ohgi's voice was gentle, almost reassuring. "Whatever happens now, isn't his concern – and he is none of ours."

"But!"

"I understand what you mean, Kallen. It's just..." Ohgi trailed off.

"That Brit bastard used us! He lied to us, Kallen." Tamaki screamed at her. "How can you defend him?!"

"We used him just as much as he used us!" Kallen snapped back at the idiotic man. The room fell silent at her remark. While it was true, to an extent, that they had used Zero for their own gains, they had largely thought of him as an ally. Someone that would do anything to defend them, no matter the cost. But they were wrong, it seemed. Zero had abandoned them before – and they ignored it – but they couldn't do so a second time. Not with so much at stake.

"Kallen," Ohgi's voice was barely a whisper as he spoke. "Please, don't do this."

"Do what, Ohgi?!" Her scream caused the man to flinch. "Defend that man that gave us hope?! That gave _me _hope?" Kallen's voice trailed off into a murmur.

"Kallen..."

"I'll..." Kallen turned away from the group and began to walk towards the door. As it opened, and she placed her foot passed the threshold, Kallen turned back to face Ohgi one last time. "I'll see you later." And with that, the door closed behind her.

"Good riddance." Chiba let out a sigh after Kallen left the room. "The last thing we need to deal with is someone that sympathizes with that royal bastard."

"Nagisa!" Tohdoh bit out a reprimand. "No matter her opinion, Kallen is a valuable comrade and you will treat her with respect."

"Yes sir!" Her response was instant, even if it lacked it's usual luster. "I apologize."

"What a mess." Ohgi collapsed back into the chair behind him. "How did we ever get ourselves into this..."

"We trusted the words of a known enemy over our very leader. A shameful display for our organization." Tohdoh replied to the rhetoric. "We didn't even verify Zero's identity for ourselves before holding him at gunpoint."

"There is that..." Everyone glanced towards Tamaki as he raised his voice. "Why did we do that?"

"The evidence was there, even if questionable." Ohgi replied dryly. "I think we were all just looking for someone to blame for the destruction of the Tokyo settlement, and Lelouch was as good a target as any."

"Still." Tamaki pressed on, "don't you think that it's just a little bid odd of us? I mean, we followed the guy since day one, and yet... this!" The auburn haired man just shrugged a little. "What's the deal?"

"I don't know. He's done plenty of things to abuse our trust before, but somehow this was the tipping point." Ohgi replied with a sigh. "I guess this was as far as we could go."

"He is the one responsible for the massacre of the Japanese at the S.A.Z.. Remember, Tamaki." Chiba's voice carried with it a conviction born of hatred. "Then he had the gall to blame it on Euphemia and start a failed rebellion."

"It wasn't really his fault though, was it?" Ohgi said after a few moments hesitation. "He lost control of his Geass at the worst possible time." Everyone just glared at the man. "I'm not saying it absolves him of the guilt, only that he hadn't meant for it to happen."

"Even still, he took advantage of it." Tohdoh replied. "Worse yet still is that he left us to die during the Black Rebellion last year."

"Did he really, though?" Ohgi asked the group. "What do you think, Deithard? You've been oddly quiet through this whole ordeal."

"Hmm?" The blond Britannia man snapped his eyes to Oghi, as the man's question shook him from his train of thought. "What do I think?"

"Yeah, give me your opinion as a fellow Britannian."

"Well..." Deithard let out an over dramatic sigh as he spoke. "It's not like we weren't winning when he left Tokyo. What ever business came up that was important enough for him to see to alone and by himself was probably worthy of his time."

"Still." Tohdoh spoke as he sat straighter in his chair. "It's not like it couldn't have waited for a while, if only so he could ensure our victory."

"What do you think he went to do anyways?" Tamaki asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. "Does anyone even know where he went?"|

"I overheard him and Kallen talking about it once." Ohgi said as he furrowed his brow. "If I remember right, I think he went to Kamine Island. To those ruins he stole the Gawain from Britannia at."

"Why did he go there?"

"No clue. They never said anything about his motive. Only that he was captured by Suzaku there, and brought before the Emperor." Ohgi said slowly. "I think that's what got Suzaku promoted to a Knight of the Round."

"It makes sense." Tohdoh's voice was strangely calm. "It'd match up with Zero's reported execution. Though why they let him live is a mystery."

"Knowing that the Emperor had a Geass also explains why Ze – Lelouch, sorry, couldn't do anything to save us. He had his memories replaced."

The group fell in to silence as the thought on that for a moment. That the mysterious power of Geass even existed was unnerving. But to know that the Emperor has since traded his for immortality? Frightening.

"Lelouch vi Britannia." Tohdoh spoke softly, lost in memory. "He and his sister were sent to live at the Kururugi shrine before the invasion. If I remember right, they were here for a year before Britannia got impatient and decided to annex our nation."

"Did he now?" Ohgi said with a small gasp. "I hadn't realized he'd been in Japan for so long. Do you think?"

"Possibly. It's a definite factor to consider."

"What was he like? As a child, I mean?"

"In a word?" Tohdoh didn't even try to hide the smirk that crept across his face. "Troublesome. He and his sister were sent here as bargaining chips for Sakuradite distribution. He was defiant, and would disobey any command given to him by his host family. Because of this, he and Suzaku never did get along for the longest time."

"A spoiled prince and a obstinate child. Still, there was _one_ redeeming quality that no-one could find fault with."

"And that was?"

"He completely disregarded his own well-being for anything that came to his sister. She was blind, and bound to a wheel-chair, unable to perform most basic tasks on her own. He did everything in his power to see her smile, and that included tolerating Suzaku's presence. She'd grown quite attached to Kururugi in the short time they had been there. Lelouch couldn't bring himself to deny her anything."

"Blind..." Ohgi's voice trailed off.

"And crippled!" Tamaki's voice was full of energy.

"So... that's why he was so desperate to take the Viceroy alive, and why he snapped after the FLEIJA..." Ohgi's voice hitched a little at the realization.

"The new Viceroy was his sister. Nunnally vi Britannia." Tohdoh replied with a sad smile on his face. "We condemned him for ignoring our plight afterwards, but he was concerned about his sister; as any of us would have been."

"Except, even more so. Nunnally was his life, if he hadn't changed that young boy you knew back then."

"I doubt very much that he changed all that much, if even a little."

The small gathering fell silent again. Ohgi and Tohdoh were regretting their recent actions, now that they knew a little bit more about the man that had once been their leader. Tamaki was openly bawling like a child, raving on about the poor, tortured soul that had been Zero. Chiba kept a scowl on her face, refusing to believe that Lelouch could have a gentle side to him. Diethard wasn't visibly shaken, nor did he seem to care one way or another. To him, all that this had revealed was another piece of the puzzle that had been his own, personal God.

An exiled prince, rebelling against his homeland and his very family in the name of Justice; all a false mask that hid the reality of a selfless child fighting for his sister. It was tragic, yet epic. It was just the sort of tale you could find in ancient Mythology and Folklore. That such a auspicious man could have risen from the depths of mortality, abandoning all sense of self-value, to do what he thought he must. All so that no others would have to tread the hallowed ground he had walked ever again.

The scope of this Epic was maddening; and he had so foolishly given up the rights to document it. To record it for history, so future generations could have seen the magnificence, the glory that _was_ Lelouch vi Britannia; exiled prince and revolutionary!

Diethard broke down and wept. He wept for his ignorance.

It was after minutes had passed, that when everyone had gathered some semblance of control, and the meeting was poised to move on, that Tamaki had spoken once more. And did his voice ring truth echoed in their thoughts.

"Well. Fuck."

* * *

**And so thou wept; mourned my departure. Hearts rent from the loss of mine providence.**

**And at the words of thine enemies didst thou descend upon me; as carrion swarms to the rotted carcass of wild beasts – savage, remorseless and hungry.**

**And thou did weep. For thou were lost amongst thine selves, no longer able to move as a whole, and crippled as individuals. Knowledge of thine betrayal forever seared into heart and mind; burned with white hot flames into thine souls.**

**And thou didst not yet understand the full truth behind thine actions, of the world yet to come. The world sowed by thou hands and reaped by thine foes. **

**For in it, the Sword of Damocles hangs poised to plunge; and the single thread that bears its weight has begun to strain.**


	3. Depression Ever After

**AN Notes: **Ugh... I hate you – hate you all! Since most of you have requested that I continue this in some way, shape, or form, my brain has been unable to focus on anything else. Worse still is the fact that all the ideas for this – now – series of one-shots (which is quickly becoming a whole story of itself), are going to be redone in **Que Sera, Sera.** This annoys me. Greatly. Seeing as I'll basically be copying my own work when I get that far into **QSS**.

Damnit!

You. Spoiled. Little. Brats! The _lot_ of you!

* * *

It wasn't that simple. Nothing ever was.

As Kallen stormed from the conference room to her own quarters aboard the Ikagura, she couldn't help but feel as though she had let both Lelouch _and_ the Order of the Black Knights down simultaneously. Even though – no, in spite of the fact – that the two were at opposing ends of this entire ordeal.

Lelouch; by his very nature, was conniving and deceitful – yet radiated elegance and grace enough to be devilishly charismatic. A natural born leader. A ruler. A prince. Yet he lacked that sense of Noblesse Oblige that would have made him a paragon.

What she had gotten instead was a snake with a silver tongue; both selfish and selfless at once, contradicting his words with his actions. A two-faced, murdering, son-of-a-bitch.

"Fuck him!" She screamed.

The Order of the Black Knights; guardians of justice and peace. Individuals that had taken up the mantle of Knights to defend the weak, and uphold the ideals of Zero – a man that even the most despondent of individuals could pray for. An organization built upon the lies of the very man it just recently betrayed.

"Ohgi was right..." Kallen spoke to herself as she staggered down the corridors of the Ikagura. "Where do we go from here, Lelouch?"

"How interesting." A voice cut out from the intersecting halls ahead of her. Kallen's attention snapped forward as she gazed upon the visage of that annoying, green-haired, pizza girl.

"C.C." Kallen all but spat. "Do you have your memory back, now?"

"So it would seem." That cold, uncaring voice replied, and Kallen could feel her blood begin to boil. "Tell me girl. Where is Lelouch?"

"Couldn't tell ya'."

"Oh, decided you weren't worth the effort of keeping around, did he?" Her tone became mocking rather quickly, Kallen decided.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but it's not like that." Kallen winced at the venom in her own voice. "The Order learned of his Geass and held a meeting."

"What happened." Her voice became serious. Too serious. As much as she hated to admit it, Kallen preferred the annoyingly playful C.C.

"Dunno. He talked for a bit, we decided we need to take a breath for a bit. And, he never came back." Tears stung at her eyes; tears she could feel herself fail to ignore. "He could have left, fallen asleep. Hell, he could have been killed already for all any of us know."

"Damn." The girl – no, woman – muttered. "I take my eyes off of him for a minute and this is what he does. What a useless child, that boy."

_Slam!_ Kallen winced as the side of her fist impacted with the steel walls of the Ikagura's corridors. The wall even dented a little – she was impressed, though pained.

"He's not useless." Kallen ground out from behind her clenched jaw.

"Still so eager to defend him." That taunting tone of voice was back. "I must say. For someone that so desperately wanted him, you never did just pin him down and ravish him."

Kallen felt the heat rise in her cheeks at that statement. It wasn't as though she never considered it before, but ... no! She mustn't think like that.

"Though, I guess a virgin like you wouldn't have even the slightest clue on where to begin." _That_ mocking tone, oh how it just infuriated Kallen like nothing else. "If you asked nicely, he may have taken the lead. He has such a tender touch."

"Fuck! Off!" Kallen felt herself lose control at that jab. Something about the casual way C.C had said it set her off. "There is no way you slept with Lelouch!"

"Oh? And what makes you so sure, little girl?" Again with that tone. By all that was holy, how she hated that tone. "It still remains that I was his closest ally; and with the weight of an entire nation on his shoulders, how could he not seek carnal pleasure as a means for stress relief?"

"Shut. Up," Her dentist would yell at her if she ever found out how hard Kallen had been grinding her teeth at that particular moment.

"Even the greatest of men seek comfort in a woman."

/_There is something you can do for me, Kallen. You can comfort me./_

"By that look on your face, it seems he sought you out for comfort once upon a time." That mocking tone was there this time, but it was replaced by... something. "And you rejected him then, didn't you?"

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh... This is rich." C.C's deadpan delivery of _that_ line stung Kallen more than she knew.

"He wasn't..." Kallen trailed off, not sure if she should even be telling this to anyone. "He wasn't in his right mind then! He had almost shot-up on Refrain when I found him."

"And instead of sharing your bed for one night, you decided to ignore his desperate plea." There was a condescending tone in C.C's voice.

"It isn't that simple."

"Sure it is. You take off your clothes, and his; then you lay with him. How hard is that?"

Kallen's face was getting redder and redder by the minute as they had this conversation. It wasn't as if she was innocent, far from it, really. Still, she had never considered sex so casually. Even at her horniest, she limited herself to daydreaming; unable to even bring herself to masturbate.

"It's not that easy, C.C!" Kallen all but screamed. "There's other things to consider."

"Like your feelings? As if that were an issue."

"Not just that!"

"The timing? When better than when he has nowhere else to turn. If you played it right, you could have made him _your _slave."

"I'm nothing like that. That's just.. that's just wrong!"

"Really? I fail to see why it would be an issue. The both of you are so tightly wound that a little romp would have done wonders for your character dynamic."

"We're done here, C.C. We are not having this conversation any more." Kallen seethed.

"Suit yourself. I'm going to go find him now." C.C began to walk towards Kallen at an annoying sedated pace. "And when I find him? I'm going to pin him down and _suck_ some of that tension out of him." Her voice came out as barely a whisper as they stood side by side for the briefest of moments. And just like that, C.C had turned the corner and vanished from Kallen's sight.

"That bitch." She muttered to herself, standing alone in the empty corridor for a minute before continuing her trek back to her quarters. The hallways of the Ikagura had never seemed so bare before; she had encountered no-one else after her aggravating exchange with C.C; to which Kallen could admit to being eternally grateful for. The isolation that is. Not that awful conversation with that damned bitch.

"There's no way Lelouch would have slept with her." Kallen mumbled to herself as she tumbled through the door to her room, and collapsed in a heap on the floor. "Absolutely no way."

"Right?" Her voice came out as a pathetic whimper.

/_Tell me Lelouch; what am I to you? With you I could.../_

/_Keep up this lie. Keeping lying until the end. We need to you keep being Zero./_

"I never said that I need you to keep being Zero." She drug herself over to the couch, pulling herself up and onto said piece of furniture. "I never said that I needed _you_."

"Tell me Lelouch..." Kallen's voice came out in choked sobs. "What should I do from now on?"

* * *

**And so the Red Queen did lock herself away; high in the tower Ikagura – unaware of the dangers unfurling in the world beneath.**

**Once where she was passionate and driven, now she was hollow and devoid of meaning; for on that day did her King of Black vanish from her life, like a spectre leaving only wisps behind.**

**And though, and verily, did the Noble Lord of Tristan try to gain her favour; all keys to her heart hath been wrought of the Blackened One. **

**To what ends the Red Queen did suffer, none can say, only this do they know; Words left behind in Flourish of Ink did read:**

**In the stead o' mine King; a King of Black,  
I do now tread this path o' thorns.  
A curse did weigh upon him heavily,  
****A curse should none now take readily.**

**Kingly Power hath been granted,  
****O'er fields of ashen like snow.  
****From one of old world testament,  
****To He; his soul did it rent.**

**Mad was he driven of power wrought,  
****An ancient one did he bind.  
****And so mad did he become,  
****His kingdom now undone.**

**In the stead o' mine King; a King of Black,  
****I do now tread his path o' thorns.  
****And with the witch do I depart,  
****Forever with him, sealed in heart.**

* * *

"And when I find him? I'm going to pin him down and _suck_ some of that tension out of him." Her voice came out as barely a whisper as they stood side by side for the briefest of moments.

She smirked to herself as she rounded the corner. Her words were hollow, but the exchange had been amusing, if only a little.

As she continued her path towards the hanger of the Ikaruga, C.C couldn't help but wonder just where _had_ Lelouch gone. It wasn't like him to leave her behind. Though she could see him doing it in this case, as where ever he had decided to go would be no place for her when she had locked her memories in stone.

"How odd that I should even do that." C.C mumbled to herself, as she kept an even stride. "I don't think I've ever tried to do that before. And wasn't it just an interesting experience."

"Never again."

She paused mid-step.

"Come now, Marianne, don't be like that."

"I'm not quite sure what you mean by that."

"I don't feel as though your remarks are justified."

"Perhaps I changed my mind. I am quite a fickle girl after all."

"No, I don't think you're on to _anything_ at all."

"Oh, that?"

"I was just trying to get a rise out of the girl. Nothing more."

"Don't make assumptions."

"How do I shut you off again?"

"I suppose that's true."

"Sometimes I feel that you're more annoying than your son."

"Of course you should be offended by that. It's almost impossible to be more annoying than Lelouch."

"Marianne... don't be such a sore loser."

"Will you shut up if I admit to it?"

"Yes, yes, no, and yes."

"Did you just giggle like a little girl?"

"Miss." A voice cut off the response. "Are you alright?"

"Thank you distraction." C.C said as she turned to face the interloper. "You've successfully shut up the voice in my head, and for that; you have my thanks."

"Uh... sure." He didn't sound so sure. "No problem." Oh, there _was_ a problem. He just wasn't aware of it yet. "Do you need help finding your way somewhere? Perhaps to the medical lab?"

"No, I'm fine. Thank you." C.C waved the unknown off with a casual flick of her wrist. "Just got lost in my musings, I suppose." She turned and began to continue her walk towards the hanger bay.

"If you say so, ma'am." The boy said before he silently stalked off in the other direction, turning his head back towards her one last time with a lock of concern on his face.

"How cute." C.C said to herself, in regards to the young man. "To think that there could be such a nice person in an organization created by Lelouch."

As C.C neared the nearest elevator that could take her to the hanger, the chiming of the bell echoed in the small hall. The doors opened and C.C was a little surprised to see Jeremiah Gottwald step from out of the lift.

"My Lady C.C." He said with a slight bow. "What an honour it is to have you welcome me back from my search for Lady Nunnally."

"Orange-boy." C.C said with a deadpan. "I hadn't realized that you were gone." Her casual dismissal annoyed Jeremiah, it was plain on his face, but she paid it no mind. "Do you know where Lelouch has gone?"

"My Master is missing?" The soldier's voice carried with it the sound of alarm. "When and where was he last seen?!"

"Hmph." C.C couldn't help the small pout that formed on her face. "So he didn't tell you either..."

"Mistress C.C!"

"No matter. I was on my way to the hangar to begin my search."

"The hangar, my Lady?"

"If he were to be fleeing, would he not take his knightmare?"

"Now that you mention it, I don't recall seeing the Shinkirou in the bay when I returned." The former knight's voice was laden with worry now. "You don't think he could have gone out into combat, do you?"

"Lelouch, in combat?" C.C scoffed at the very idea of it. "The only time that boy has ever gone out into combat was when he had to make a point. No, I very much doubt that."

"Then..."

"If anything, I think he simply chose to distance himself from this matter entirely." There was a sense of smug satisfaction in her voice, for no real reason. "We're not going to give him the pleasure of ditching us. Are we, Jeremiah?"

"No Lady C.C." He answered in kind, a devious smile growing on his face. "No we most certainly will not."

* * *

**And so did the White Witch and the Knight of Orange depart from Castle Ikagura, to chase after the wayward King. None of the Black King's court heeded their departure as their station had always been contested by those who would see the King dethroned. And with them, too, left the humour of the land; and any joy the Lords and Ladies of the Court could see. **

**Ikagura had become a bitter land, full of mourning and sorrow; the skies became grey eternal and the land soaked in an endless rain. **

**To wit the White Witch did leave a note; a parley of mockery and disillusionment. **

**' To those of His Darkened Court; I leave for you this;**

**Thou didst not see for what had truly been there,  
****Took him for granted, now how dost thou fair?  
****Words from him were like silvery snow,  
****Make do you now, with only hot air to blow.**

**Noble Orange and Dear White, do we depart,  
****Leaving you with nothing, but our fading art.  
****None of ye hath the wit to fashion yourself King,  
****Perhaps maybe a Court Jester; if ye can sing.**

**How now does it feel, sapped of your Lord,  
****Not knowing whom to play, like gentle harp's cord?  
****How doth thou plan to move on from this,  
****Without knowing who's ass you need kiss.**

**Without reservation, we leave you behind;  
****Perhaps, maybe we should be so kind.**

**Forever and Sincerely;**

**The White Witch and The Noble Orange. '**

* * *

**Post AN Note:** Well... this was certainly interesting to write. The emboldened text deviates here from the norm; as instead of an archaic look into Lelouch's thoughts, this time we see into Kallen's, C.C's, and Jeremiah's minds.

As for Jeremiah's personality for this installment? I rather found myself enjoying his crazed self at the end of R1 and I was more than a little upset that he wasn't so bat-shit insane in R2; so I came to a delicate balance of devotee and lunatic. Think; Cicero (of Skyrim), only not _so_ insane as that.

Honestly? I found writing the ridiculously unnecessary Olde English sections to be the most fun. Writing poetry and using a melding of old and new English systems was a riot; I was literally laughing myself to tears typing it out. No joke. The poem's aren't even that funny in my opinion. But they do add flavour.

Also, I'm a bit of a perv, so it _was_ kinda fun writing that whole scene with C.C and Kallen. Just a little. Honestly.


	4. Teaser for Que Sera, Sera

**AN Note:** This will [and is] probably the final 'update' that you'll see for At the Hands of Betrayal – as of now I am beginning to write Que Sera, Sera. Many of the ideas that found their way into Betrayal will also be featured in Que Sera, Sera as well. I hope you see you all there.

* * *

_Rivalz Cardemonde was depressed; more so than the other students gathered in the Council Hall. He, and the rest of the student council, had lost most of their enthusiasm nearly a week ago; Nunnally, Lelouch's younger sister, had informed them that he [Lelouch] had not made it home the night before._

_The night that he and Lelouch had skipped afternoon classes to play _that_ illegal chess match. The one where Lelouch had gone to help the crashed transport truck – and aside from a quick, nonsensical phone call to Shirley, hadn't been heard from since._

_He felt himself to be at fault as it was his idea that Lelouch take over for the old guy that day,_

_'If only we hadn't gone...'_

_'It's not your fault Rivalz, you had no way of knowing.'_

_'If we hadn't gone to that game, Lelouch wouldn't be dead!'_

_He was exaggerating, he knew. Lelouch wasn't dead, as far as anyone knew. Mid-way through the week Nina, Shirley and himself had drawn up a rough draft of a missing persons poster and had wanted to report their friend as missing to the police; an action that was vehemently opposed by both [shockingly] Nunnally and Milly._

_'Why shouldn't we report this?'_

_'Its.. complicated.'_

_'How complicated?'_

_'Hmm...'_

_'You could never see my brother nor I again.'_

_'…'_

_'That bad huh?'_

_And that had been it. The two girls had offered no further explanation for their reluctance to seek police aid. Nunnally had only given him a small hint that she and Lelouch wouldn't be able to seem them anymore if they had – and that was enough for Nina and a reluctant Shirley... but not for him. Rivalz needed more._

_And he was shocked to learn that Sayoko, the maid that Lelouch had hired to help him take care of Nunnally, had turned out to double as a bodyguard with some serious martial skills. He'd probably have had his arm broken if it wasn't for the fact that 'he was a friend of Master Lelouch's'._

"_We're being called to the Assembly Hall this afternoon." Milly spoke after a few minutes of tense silence._

"_Do you know why?" Rivalz voice came out quiet. _

"_It seems that the Viceroy has an announcement to make – and the media was instructed to make it a global event."_

"_Huh..." And there was really nothing else to say to that. It wasn't exactly unheard of, but it was rather rare that a member of the Imperial Family had something of such apparent importance to announce. _

_And so, a few short hours later, Rivalz and the Student Council, along with the entirety of the student body of Ashford Academy, found themselves seated in the Assembly Hall [the single largest room on the campus]. And no-one had any idea on what was going to be announced to the world._

_Then the, rather large, screen turned on._

_And Lelouch's face took up the majority of the display. And the students did gasp._

_Rather than the school uniform; which is all anyone there had really seen him in, Lelouch wore what could only be called Royal Regalia. His long, ebony hair had been pulled back into a slick pony tail, and his violet eyes seemed to be staring into the souls of everyone witnessing the display._

"_Attention, entire world!" Lelouch's voice was commanding, and harsh._

"_My name is Lelouch vi Britannia, the prince abandoned by his Empire." _

"_On this day do I begin my retribution against the Holy Britannian Empire and the ruling class. Too long have they sat themselves on high, abusing their wealth to give them false power to hurt the weak. Subjugating those they feel are below them by the circumstances of birth; the privileged few ignoring the plight of the masses!"_

"_Spreading their influence around the world by forcefully annexing new lands and oppressing the native peoples. This ends today. In conjunction with the EU and the Chinese Federation, along with the resistances from each of the so called 'Areas', we now fight back. And we will begin with this."_

_The camera panned left, so now Lelouch only took up half of the frame, and revealed the Viceroy of Area 11, Clovis la Britannia. The prince was bound and gagged, held bent forward in disgrace._

"_Clovis la Britannia ordered to destruction of the Shinjuku ghetto and the execution of all it's citizens. All to hide the existence of Code-R – a research project that focus on human experimentation."_

_The bound prince's eyes filled with desperation as his dirty laundry was aired to the world. _

"_I Lelouch vi Britannia cannot condone this. What right does one man have to mutilate others in some fruitless hunt for whatever gains he sought. So here we are. The ruling prince of Japan, bent knee before us, subject to our justice."_

"_I, Lelouch vi Brtiannia, do sentence you, Clovis la Britannia, to death. For your crimes against humanity, we have stood in judgment and deemed you worthy of only this; no other punishment is just enough. Have you any last words, brother?"_

_One of the unknown soldiers that stood beside the captive prince reached down and removed the gag._

"_Lelouch! You cannot do this to me. We're brothers, you and I. We may not have the same mothers, but we are blood! Father will not stand for this!"_

"_That's entirely the point, Clovis. The people of the world will no longer stand by and allow the Britannian Empire to commit such travesties any longer."_

"_You're a Britannian as well, Lelouch!"_

"_Indeed. History shows that when the leaders question the actions of a nation, the people are more likely to question them as well." At this the barrel of the gun Lelouch had at his side was pressed against Clovis' temple. _

"_Que Sera, Sera." Lelouch's voice was crisp as he turned the safety off._

"_What ever will be, will be." The two unknown guards replied not a second later._

"The last thing I remember that day was the sound of a gunshot echoing in the Assembly Hall. My friend was a prince, and had just murdered his brother on a live, international broadcast; and then, there was war. Britannia vs. the World. You know the rest."

* * *

**Post AN Note:**

How Que Sera, Sera is going to work:

When re-watching the series with my roommate; I noticed something that just kind of fell short of what I'd have liked to see. Lelouch with a gambling habit. It's how we were introduced to the character in the first place, and re-introduced in the second season. Yet, aside from those two episodes, it's never really touched on again. No explanation for why he gambles, or how he got into it.

So I came up with the idea of Que Sera, Sera. The entire story is a gamble. And in it, you'll see more of Lelouch's gambling nature. How this is going to work is as follows: After a chapter (not all, mind you) or whenever there is a one-way, two-way situation – He could do this, or he could do that – I'll flip a coin. Depending on the result of the flip, depends on the way the story flows.

Now before you panic; the entire story[ies] is[are] planned. Every possible outcome has a rough draft on what happens after it. That being said, I don't know exactly how Que Sera, Sera is going to end, only it's possible endings as they are now.

Also, expect deviations from canon.

And maybe, just maybe, this scene will be in the official release. It's one of the possible deviations [or alterations] that can result from a coin toss.


End file.
